New York Times bestselling author James Patterson has raised questions about the methodology behind the publication’s “Best Seller” list.
Patterson first tweeted his suspicions last weekend. He noted how Mike Pompeo’s book had sold more copies than six titles included in the list, and that J.D. Robb’s novel (under Nora Roberts’ pen name) had not made the fiction list despite selling more than four other titles.
Patterson has published multiple bestselling books each year, and is considered one of the world’s wealthiest authors. After failing to receive a response from the New York Times, Patterson wrote a formal letter to the editor of the publication.
In the letter, Patterson noted his longtime support for the New York Times. He also explained how his latest book, “Walk the Blue Line”, had outsold all but three of the books on the Times list of 15 and had outsold the bottom seven books on the list, according to BookScan, yet had not made the cut.
He asked the publication to “please cut it out.”
I recently wrote @NYTimes a letter about them cooking the books on their best seller lists. They told my publisher they didn’t rely on just “raw” sales. And they refused to run the letter. But you, dear reader, can read it here. Please spread the word. https://t.co/9UmR4FcjhC pic.twitter.com/fr5NfX7uME
— James Patterson (@JP_Books) March 29, 2023
The New York Times responded to Patterson’s claims in a statement. They said they take his concerns seriously and are reviewing their methods in compiling the Best-Seller Lists.
The Times stated that their bestsellers lists are based on detailed analyses of book sales from a wide range of retailers, including tens of thousands of brick-and-mortar stores and numerous online book-selling vendors. They also mentioned their confidential reporting process and how books make lists. They have been tracking Patterson’s latest books, and in the last 15 years, his books have ranked on their Best-Seller lists over 4,000 times.
